All Grown Up
by wiccanforever
Summary: "You can just kill me, you know." Magic reveal. Kind of depressing and a little out of character. One shot.


Of course a sorceress would choose now to attack Arthur.

He sat on his throne surrounded by his queen, several knights, nobles, and, of course, Merlin. Yet, for some unknown reason, this sorceress, a middle aged average looking woman, barreled through the great doors and knocked everyone to their feet. Camelot was no stranger to magical attacks, but they were usually better thought out and more strategic than this. However, it appears that this sorceress did not need strategy, just brute power, which she had. She soon had everyone pinned to a wall except Arthur, who rose and drew Excalibur, numbly, knowing he stood no chance against her magic.

This sorceress did not cackle or explain why she was here. She just looked at the king with pure hatred, raised her hand, and slashed down, shouting a spell. Arthur was ready to dodge whatever spell the woman sent his way, but no such thing happened. Instead, he found himself fixed to the floor as flames started to lick up his boots. He tried to move, to escape the burning heat, but was immobilized.

"Yes, Arthur Pendragon," the sorceress finally said. "It is time to burn for your family's crimes against magic, just as you have burned us. Do you think what is left of the magical community has not heard of your disrespect of the Disir and our Goddess? We have stood back and waited for Emyrs as we were bid to, but the Goddess has spoken and revoked your protection. We will no longer wait."

The fire slowly crawled closer to Arthur's legs and he was in agony from the blistering heat, but he refused to part his lips and scream as he so desired. He was the king and he refused to lose his dignity with his life in front of his people and murderer. Sweat rolled down his face as the fire burned the leather encasing his feet and started to singe his pants. He closed his eyes and silently prayed for Guinevere and the kingdom's safety after his death. The king kept up these silent pleas until the heat suddenly vanished. He looked down to find his boots unmarked by the flames and he felt no pain.

Arthur's attention was soon diverted by the sharp sound of a body hitting the ground. His grip on his sword tightened and he looked around wildly for the sorceress. Instead, he found his manservant in the center of the hall—how did he get away from the wall?—with his arm outstretched to the woman, who lay on the ground, and his eyes were glowing gold as he kept her pinned to the ground, much like she had done to the court.

"Leave," Merlin's stern voice echoed throughout the room.

"It is our time!" the sorceress gasped from the ground, trying to fight his spell as he had broken hers.

"No," Merlin answered, dangerously calm. "Arthur Pendragon is under my protection and no one shall touch him."

"Emyrs?" the woman questioned, shocked.

"Yes. I have hidden for too long. Leave and never return. Tell anyone else who wishes to harm the king that Emyrs is always watching and I will not be so merciful next time. The Disir is wrong. Arthur and Camelot are to be protected," Merlin commanded, his voice no longer that of a servant. The woman shuddered and nodded repeatedly. Merlin cautiously lowered his hand, the gold disappearing from his eyes. The sorceress stood, nodded, and muttered a spell to take herself away.

With the sorceress gone, her spell holding everyone to the wall had broken and Arthur snapped out of his shock—which he blamed on the sorceresses earlier spell. The guards hesitantly made their way to Merlin, but Arthur demanded, "Everyone leave us!"

"My lord—" one of the guards began.

"Now," Arthur's command came out cold and authoritarian, reminding everyone of Uther. The knights looked worriedly between the king and his manservant. Gwaine was ready to threaten Arthur not to hurt Merlin, but Percival elbowed him and hustled him out. Guinevere also reluctantly prepared to leave, seeing that her husband needed to talk to Merlin alone, but before she left, she leaned to Arthur and warned "Don't do anything rash. You will regret it."

Once the hall had emptied of everyone, the two men stared at each other. Arthur looked at Merlin, really looked at him for the first time in a long while. The man looked tired and old, when did Merlin get so old? When did his blue eyes fill with so much pain and darkness? Since when has the weight of the world hunched his shoulders so? When was the last time he had truly smiled?

Merlin looked at Arthur, sank to the floor, and just sat there, not looking at his king. His best friend. The other half of the coin. His destiny. The Once and Future King. Funny how everything just came back to that destiny, huh?

It was Merlin who broke the silence. "You can just kill me, you know."

"What?" Whatever, Arthur had been expecting him to say, it certainly wasn't that.

"I broke your laws. I've lied to you for ten years. I've betrayed you just like everyone else. I've killed. You have the right to. It's okay," shrugged Merlin.

"Why would you want me to kill you?" Arthur asked softly to this strange man who looked like his manservant, but was so different from the happy boy with the quick, witty retorts he had once been.

"Because if you don't execute me, you'll have to banish me and I've worked too hard and lost too much for my destiny to end that way. At least if you kill me, I can use the power released from my body at my death to set a protection spell for you that should last you the rest of your life," Merlin explained somewhat tonelessly.

Whatever anger Arthur felt upon finding out his friend had magic had to take a backseat to the sorrow he felt now. "Merlin, I can't kill you."

"You've gotten soft," Merlin said with a small smile. "This would have been a great thing a few years ago. But now, I'm tired, Arthur. I need you to be that ruthless king one last time for me. Please."

"Merlin, you can't ask me to kill you," Arthur said, sinking down to the floor next to him. "And I'm not banishing you." What he can't seem to voice is that he can't kill or banish Merlin—he needs him.

"It's a smart move politically," Merlin said, shrugging again. "The kingdom would be in an uproar if you pardoned me."

"I'm the king, I can do whatever I want," Arthur countered.

"You know that's not true. You have a council of nobles to answer to, and the people of Camelot themselves," Merlin replied. "If you really feel that bad, then work to reverse the ban on magic after my death."

"Stop!" Arthur exclaimed sharply. "You're not dying, you idiot!"

A ghost of a smile flickered on Merlin's face. "It's okay, Arthur. I'm ready. Just let my death mean something."

Arthur grabbed his manservant by the shoulders and shook him because he simply did not know what else to do in that moment. "Merlin, stop it! You're scaring me!" Arthur Pendragon had never once admitted to fear in his life, but hearing his friend talk like this terrified him.

Merlin's eyes rose to meet Arthur's and the young king was struck by their pain.

"Merlin," Arthur whispered in despair. "What's happened to you?"

"I've grown up," the warlock answered simply.

* * *

Yeah, that was a strange, depressing one-shot. I just feel like this series shows Merlin so depressed and while I know he would never actually want to die (how could he protect Arthur if he's dead), this just randomly came to me. It really hurts to see Merlin as down as he is in the show right now and it's clearly affecting my creative process.

Well, enough about my sadness, please review to tell me what you think!


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